Public health leaders work tirelessly to build a healthier world grounded in health equity and justice principles. At the macro level, they address the varied social, environmental, and economic determinants of health. All while also forging partnerships outside of public health, applying system perspectives to urgent health challenges, and participating in policy changes for public health-adjacent domains.
Unsurprisingly, public health professionals need leadership skills to affect progress in our complex and ever-changing world, which is why candidates pursue graduate studies in a public health program.
Let’s explore public health professionals’ skills and responsibilities and how students develop them in Master’s in Public Health (MPH) degree programs.
What Skills Do I Need as a Public Health Professional?
Public health professionals must be experts in their field with a vision and practical communication skills to effect change independent of formal authority. They are the changemakers with an inspiring work ethic to effect real change at the national, state, and local levels.
As such, public health professionals should be individuals with the following skills and traits:
- Integrity
- Decisiveness
- Realistic yet optimistic outlooks
- Transparency
- High values of accuracy, honesty, and accountability
Public health professionals should see themselves as public servants, always working toward the public’s best interest. While also maintaining their role as a leader and the person teams of scientists, researchers, and elected officials turn to in times of crisis.
By valuing teamwork, networking, information management, and clear communication, public health professionals can be the successful and influential leaders our world needs to streamline public health services and improve access to those services and other critical public health information.
Did you know that you can earn your MPH degree 100% online at University of Bridgeport? Learn more today!
What Do Public Health Professionals Do?
Public health professionals have many responsibilities, and these can, of course, vary depending on their specialization and role. That said, all of these responsibilities require strong leadership in the following areas:
1. Crisis Communication
As we saw with COVID-19, the public needs clear guidance and direction on protecting themselves during a disease outbreak. Public health leaders are the experts safeguarding communities during these emergencies.
2. Emergency Planning
Public health professionals must be expert planners to keep our communities safe and calm. They strategically coordinate federal, state, local, and community emergency plan efforts in response to bioterrorism events, environmental catastrophes, pandemics, epidemics, and all other threats to public health.
3. Public Health Initiatives
Everyone, at every level of government, should benefit from health initiatives run by competent and qualified public health leaders. Government leaders implement public health policy, collect data, allocate resources, and deliver community services.
4. Advocacy for At-Risk and Vulnerable Populations
Ultimately, public health professionals focus on advancing the greater good for everyone, especially those at-risk or vulnerable populations. They are responsible for addressing the underlying social issues contributing to these challenges and working to eliminate health disparities at all societal levels.
Make a Difference with a Master’s in Public Health
It’s clear that public health professionals need solid leadership skills to impact the workforce and the lives of local and global communities. This is why individuals passionate about creating change turn to the leadership training found in graduate public health degree programs.
These graduate-level programs emphasize the practical aspects of public health through an interdisciplinary approach designed to educate and build skills in epidemiology, environmental health, health policy, biostatistics, program planning, and evaluation.
Students study current health and wellness trends, learn scientific methods and best practices, and are prepared to tackle and make changes to challenging health issues affecting the public.
Curriculum and requirements in a Master’s in Public Health program will vary depending on the institution, but our completely online, forty-two credit competency-based program includes MPH courses in:
- Introduction to Public Health
- Principles of Epidemiology
- Public Health Policy
- Research Methods
- Social and Behavioral Aspects of Health
- Global Public Health
- Applied Practical Learning
Furthermore, our students choose one of three MPH concentrations:
- Global Health: Teaches students about the interplay between public health, political, and socio-economic issues. Graduates of this concentration are prepared to monitor and address the risk of epidemics worldwide.
- Community Health: While one of the broadest concentrations, it enables students to monitor and diagnose health issues, engage communities in health conversations, and implement effective programmatic responses.
- Health Policy and Management: This concentration educates students on top-level solutions to health and social problems. Furthermore, students in this concentration analyze and study research, policy briefs, presentations, and petitions.
Graduates of our Master’s in Public Health can meet their personal and professional development goals with Public Health careers as policy analysts, epidemiologists, biostatisticians, congressional staffers, executive directors, and so much more.
Additionally, they make a difference and impact in hospitals, clinics, state and local health departments, nursing homes, and mental health facilities.
If you are passionate about promoting equity, inclusion, and resources people need to live longer, happier, and healthier lives, enroll in our online Master’s in Public Health program at University of Bridgeport.
Together, we’ll develop and strengthen your leadership skills and training with activities offered at varying degrees of intensity to engage students at every level. With six start dates, seven-week terms, and the ability to complete this degree in as little as fifteen months, there’s no better time to take the next step in your healthcare career.
Contact us for more information, or apply today. Financial aid is available, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis.